23yo Vaccinated with AstraZeneca (Side-Effects)

On Monday the 28th of June, 2021 we sat around the TV at 8pm watching PM Mark McGowan announce another lockdown in Perth and Peel as a result of another Covid outbreak, later determined to be the delta strain.

Tuesday morning, I showed up at work as an 'essential worker'. We were in the grey area of essential, our shops were closed, but we hoped that due to our small and secluded factory we'd be safe to continue packing out what products we'd already prepared. Only when we showed up, we were told to wait in the rarely used storeroom until all three of us were present, and then we were told some bad news.

A co-worker had called in sick and was awaiting a Covid test result... and his family member had been present at IKEA, one of the Perth hotspots, in the hotspot time period. He'd been around the boss the day before (Monday), and so the boss had spent all morning wiping down and decontaminating everything in the warehouse, and kept his distance from us while he gave us the news and apologised for bringing us in (he'd only found out that morning so he couldn't have given us any more warning).

We both felt too uncomfortable to work; I am staying with family at the moment, so have my young son, my MIL, Aunt in Law and an elderly Granny in the house with me. I couldn't risk anything with them. My co-worker also has a young family and a partner that is only just recovering from surgery; she couldn't risk anything either.

We went home, and that day the Australian government announced they were making the AstraZeneca vaccine open to ALL adult Australians (where as previously you had to be over 50yo to receive the AZ vaccine, and only those over 30 could receive the Pfizer vaccine which had longer wait times to get vaccinated). Judging by the current plans, Luke and I (23yo) would not even be considered for the Pfizer vaccine until September/October at the earliest, and that's just for the first dose. There was a good chance we'd not be vaccinated this year.

So Luke rang up first thing Tuesday morning and booked us both in for the AstraZeneca vaccine at our local GP. We showed up, amidst many other adults (though we were amongst the youngest of the lot). One person asked for the Pfizer vaccine and when she was told they had none to give, she shrugged and said AZ would have to do. People want to be vaccinated, it just hasn't been possible for many of us until now.

Getting the vaccine is controversial, especially as younger adults, and it isn't actually recommended if trying to conceive, pregnant or breastfeeding. Of course I'm not pregnant or breastfeeding currently, but we are trying to conceive, and there is a chance (hopefully!) that I am pregnant during my second dose. But I've weighed the risks and the benefits, and for me and my family, I've chosen to get the vaccine regardless of potential side effects like thrombosis with thrombocytopenia, and infertility (not proven at all, but people worry... I'm suffering secondary infertility anyway and unable to fall pregnant so it's hardly going to change anything).

So reasons aside, here's the part everyone wants to read about: what was it like, getting the AstraZeneca vaccine as a young adult?

At first, it was like any other vaccine I've ever had. I had mild pain at the injection site, which I always do regardless of the vaccine. Luke, who got it at the same time, had no pain and didn't feel the injection at all, which lines up with his previous vaccinations as well. That was all the side effects we had that day (we were vaccinated about 4:30pm). We both thought we'd somehow lucked out and been in the clear. We were wrong.

Early that morning I was woken by Luke trembling. He had the shivers and couldn't stop shaking. It kept me and Hayden up (we were all in the same bed as we are staying with family at the moment). I was actually very frustrated with him, he seemed to not recall much of the night, but he was awake every few minutes moaning or asking if I felt bad too (usually right as I drifted back to sleep). And for an hour or so, I did feel fine.

Then the headache started, a dull pressure right behind my eyes. And fairly soon it was migraine level, and the rest of my body had started to ache as well, and I couldn't sleep through the pain. I'd never realised how many joints my body has until every single one of them was hurting. The best way I could describe the feeling I had all that day was that it was as if I'd raced an entire super series of BMX, gotten into the final and then crashed out resulting in a concussion. My body felt like it had run a marathon and then been run over by a bus, and my headache was terrible.

Light sensitivity, sound sensitivity (extra painful with a toddler), pressure behind my eyes, ringing in my ears and a sickening nausea to accompany it all. It was a solid migraine, and paracetamol didn't make a dent. Or maybe it did, not taking away any of the pain but letting me sleep through it in multiple short naps throughout the day. I don't think I could have slept through the pain without Panadol, but the instant I woke up the pain wasn't any lessened.

I also had pain and swelling at the injection site, which Luke didn't have all that Wednesday. I often get pain in my arm after a vaccine, but this was definitely a new level compared to most vaccinations. However, I had a little toddler rolling and poking my arm all night, which probably didn't help matters. I've no idea how bad my arm would have been if I'd been a normal adult that could have a peaceful nights sleep in their own bed.

Around mid afternoon my shivers kicked in. But they didn't last as long as Luke's had, just on and off shivering for maybe two hours sporadically, and then they seemed to stop. It was hard to stay warm though, and I spent most the day wrapped up.

That day we also went for a Covid test at a drive through clinic in Booragoon. Luke had messaged his work earlier that morning to say how he'd had the Covid jab and was getting kicked around with the side effects, and his work insisted he get tested before returning to work (safety first, he works in transport so last thing anyone wants is him having Covid and spreading it to truckies making interstate trips). We went for testing, and I decided to test as well for peace of mind so I could return to work next Tuesday (or hopefully Sunday if lockdown lifts and the store reopens).

Testing was much nicer this time around. My first experience was a walk in clinic at Armadale Hospital, and though everyone was nice and I didn't mind the overall experience, I definitely got an understanding of how certain myths came about. It felt like the swab really was touching my brain, and I had a sore nose for ages after. It wasn't pleasant. This time around, we drove straight in (I've still never had to wait in a line which is lucky as the day before average wait times were in the hours) and the nose swab barely affected me, slightly watering eyes and the sensation lasted until we pulled out onto the next street.

These symptoms lasted all day, and I could barely eat anything (I forced down bites to have something in my stomach for my Panadol doses). Honestly don't think I've ever taken so many pain killers so often in my life, not during labour, not after my surgery. That's how I knew that his vaccine had really affected me.

The next night was spent in pain, barely able to sleep through the headache and the body aches (back pain was the worst last night). When we got up for the day, Luke felt much better, though his headache apparently flared up when he moved around too much. I still felt terrible, but I managed to get out to do my blood test at Clinipath and get back, and as the day has progressed and I've managed to get one good nap in, I definitely feel a LOT better than I did yesterday. The headache is still there, but it's just a headache. The body aches are still there, but they're not as extreme (my toes joints aren't aching as much, just my larger joints).

I did have some stomach pains today, though I'm not sure they're related (I am preparing to ovulate, so could be that, or could be the fact I've barely eaten, or a myriad of other reasons). Doubt it was vaccine related, but thought it was worth mentioning.

I'm hoping come morning I'll be feeling much better. Luke's now gotten a local injection site reaction and his arm is red and slightly swollen around the injection site, same as mine. But he feels much, much better, and I'm on the mend too. All in all, I am very glad we got the vaccine when we did, whilst staying with family and having the ability to share care of Hayden. The risk of blood clots doesn't appear until 4+ days after the vaccine, so we'll have to wait and see how that goes, though chances are slim.

I currently, from personal experience, would happily recommend the vaccine to my friends and family... but if they've got anyone in their care, perhaps wait until after lockdown restrictions lift, so that you can get help with looking after those in your care if you do suffer from side effects like Luke and I did. I'm sure we both had moments of doubt yesterday in the thick of the pain, but now barely 48 hours later I'm glad we suffered through that pain to ensure the extra measure of safety for us and for our family that can't get vaccinated yet.

I'll happily update once the initial side effects have vanished completely, in about a month once I'm passed the risk of blood clots and in the clear. My second vaccination is booked in for the 24th of September, as we were told that there seems to be better immune response from the second dose the later it's given in the 4-12 week period between doses, so we opted for about 12 weeks.

I rolled up for WA... will you?